Mortal by Kim Richardson Read Free Book Online Page B

and
wiped the snow from her eyes. "Nope, sorry. Should I? It looks
pretty normal beige to me. I don’t see what you mean by different ."
    She was beginning to think this guy
was a little off. She should be wary of strangers, but somehow she
felt comfortable around him. It was like being around an old
friend, even though he wasn’t. She pulled her hood over her head
and shifted her weight uncomfortably. Something was off about him
all right...but what?
    Kara exhaled, her breath coiled around
her in a white mist. But the stranger’s mouth was mist-less. He
didn’t appear to be breathing at all. Kara waited and watched for
vapors to come out of his nose. Nothing. A tinge of fear rippled
inside her. If he wasn’t breathing, that meant he wasn’t human. If
he wasn’t human...then what was he?
    The guy pulled up his sleeve and waved
his bare arm in front of Kara. "You don’t see it glowing? You don’t
see through the veil?"
    "Glowing? Veil?" Kara
laughed nervously and stepped back. She didn’t want to offend him,
but he was acting a little schizo, and he still wasn’t breathing.
"Are you feeling all right?" she said, "Are you sure you didn’t bump your
head—"
    The rest of Kara’s words caught in her
throat. Suddenly, the stranger’s forearm started to glow faintly as
though liquid light flowed through his veins. She looked up. Where
his skin had been a normal beige color moments before, it now
radiated a soft yellow light. She could see two stars etched across
his forehead, as though he had been branded.
    "What are you? You’re not human!" Kara
backed away from him again, frightened. What if he was a demon
disguised as a hot guy, just to trick her? The stranger had
appeared at the exact moment that the creature that had attacked
her had disappeared. What if they were working together?
    The stranger lifted his
hands up. "Kara, don’t be afraid, I won’t hurt you. It’s me, David . Don’t you
recognize me? You know me, remember? We’ve fought in the legion
together. We’ve combated demons, saved mortal souls, we’re
friends—well, maybe more than friends."
    "I don’t know you," said Kara. But
somehow it felt like a lie. She let out a sigh of frustration.
"What is going on? Why do I feel like I know you and then don’t?
And please tell me why you’re glowing?"
    "Because I’m in my M-suit—my mortal
suit. I’m an angel, Kara," said the stranger in a soothing voice.
He drew closer and reached out to grab her hand.
    ZAP!
    Kara jumped back. An electric shock
surged through her from his touch. It was like touching an
electrical outlet with her fingers.
    "What was that?"
    The stranger shook his head
bewildered. He stared at his hands. "I don’t know. It’s never
happened before. Maybe because you’re mortal, and I’m in my
M-suit."
    Kara took another step back. She
couldn’t find her voice. She breathed heavily and stared at the
stranger through her icicle-clustered eyelashes that kept sticking
together every time she blinked. In a weird way, she believed him.
But how could she? She was definitely losing her mind. Angels?
Could he really be an angel? He was freaking glowing!
    "You can see through the veil now, the
cloak that hides us from regular mortal eyes," said the stranger,
as relief spread quickly to his face. "That’s how you can see my
skin glowing a little; it’s my angel essence beneath this mortal
suit. It’s how you were able to see the demon that attacked you.
You can see angels and demons, Kara."
    That part she knew was true. Lately
she had been seeing more and more ghastly creatures in the night.
She always felt them near her, their evil sneaking up on her. But
angels?
    Kara watched the snow nestle gently on
his head. "So, how come I can see these demons, like you say?" She
thought about telling him that her mom could see them, too, but
decided against it. He was a stranger after all. She didn’t want to
tell him her whole life’s story.
    "Because you’re part
elemental."
    "I’m